India 's president appointed Narendra Modi as the new prime minister of the world 's largest democracy Tuesday , the presidential palace said in a statement .

Modi succeeds Manmohan Singh , whose Congress party suffered its worst-ever defeat in the recent general elections .

President Pranab Mukherjee will administer the oath of office and secrecy to Modi on May 26 , the statement said .

Earlier in the day , Modi made his maiden visit to the national parliament as a federal lawmaker . In a traditional gesture of supplication to what Indians call their temple of democracy , he bowed down on the first step of the building 's entry stairs .

After he was officially named leader of his Bharatiya Janata Party 's -LRB- BJP -RRB- parliamentary group , Modi made a passionate speech in Hindi .

In his televised address to BJP lawmakers , he broke down briefly as he hailed both the nation and his party as his `` mother . ''

`` I have done no favor . Can serving the mother be called a favor ? '' he asked , pausing to sip water . `` India is my mother and so is the BJP . You do no favor to your mother . You only serve her , '' he said , his voice choked with emotion .

Modi vowed to increase efforts to eradicate poverty , create employment opportunities for the country 's young workers and provide a safer environment for women .

The BJP has swept the five-phase national elections that concluded on May 12 , winning 282 of the 543 seats of the parliament 's lower house on its own in what has been a historic mandate for any single party in decades in India .

Together , the BJP-led coalition -- called the National Democratic Alliance -- comprises 335 elected members in the lower chamber called the Lok Sabha , or the House of People .

Modi prepares for transition

Opinion : Memo to Modi -- How to reboot India

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Modi will officially be sworn in May 26

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His party won more than half the seats in the parliament 's lower house

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The new prime minister promised to fight against poverty , create jobs